Blindsided
by Faust VII
Summary: She supposed it wasn't all that surprising, though it seemed to have blindsided everyone, including herself. Oneshot.


No one had seen it coming. Even she hadn't seen it coming. But she supposed it made sense in many ways. For all she was a hormonal teenager in her prime, she had never thought on love. It just wasn't something that occupied her mind. It could have been because she was too concerned with her future, or the fact that she'd never put much stock in relationships. But whatever the case, love only occupied her mind in the few logical theories she came up with when she spent to long with the host club. For all her dismissal thoughts on love, and her naiveté and obliviousness, though, she was far from stupid.

It had taken her a few years but she had finally learned that for all she loved none, some loved her. Tamaki was the brightest example in the fact it was so obvious when you looked at it. Haruhi supposed she had been ignoring it more then missing it before. She knew he loved her and she was truly sorry to say she could never love him back. Tamaki was a bright person, a fun guy, and an all around nice person, but he wasn't for her. He just wasn't. She couldn't live her life out with him.

And it all came down to that when she looked at men. Could she live with them for the rest of her life? She didn't want a fling with a boy, so she didn't base her attraction on looks. She put more stock in personality and attitude because when she looked at a man she had to see herself living with them for a long period of time before she'd even consider looking twice. So few men fit that criteria these days.

Kaouru was another example of a boy she couldn't spend her life with because even though they acted like it wouldn't happen, she knew Hikaru would get between them. The twins shared everything and as fun as that sounded at odd times, she knew she would be overwhelmed by their world quite quickly if she dived so far in. For all she like the twins, their carefree attitude smothered her more relaxed, calm one.

Kasanoda was the last of three that glanced at her. And while he was her top choice of the three men she couldn't see herself with him. He had such a large family, perhaps not by blood, but family none the less. She would never get a private moment with him at home and she knew away from home she would be a woman consumed by her work. So as nice as he was, he was out.

With the three people who truly desired her out of the picture, there was only a few other men in he life. And they all consisted of the Host club. She was not arrogant in saying she would never want for anything in her life when she got in a relationship. It was inevitable in a way that she'd go with one of the men whom she'd shared all of her most important years of school with. But once again, it left her with so few other choices.

Hani, as cute and nice as he was, was out because she wanted someone responsible in a way. And while Hani could easily become that person, he had much to of a carefree spirit, not held down by age, and she wouldn't be the one to make him grow up. Hikaru was out with his brother, but she treated them as the same person anyway, so with Kaoru out she'd automatically dropped Hikaru too.

That left two men.

Kyoya, for all he intimidated her at times, had been considered very thoroughly. She'd thought on it long and hard and had admitted to herself, that in the end she could see them together. They'd be very successful. But she didn't want just success. Somewhere, deeply buried and forgotten, she truly did want someone to love her passionately, or if not passionately, then in a simple open way. In a way they wouldn't be afraid to show anywhere. And Kyoya, she knew for all he would love her, would never act as such when they were not alone. She knew one day she'd want to simply hold his hand at a dinner and he'd knock it away to keep up a polite face.

So really, it had been quite obvious who she would choose. Calm and silent, but tender in his own way, openly caring in his own way. The man who would help her with her dreams and who would not smother her or make her make him grow up. A man she could get a few moments of privacy with even at home. A man who would never complain should she try to take his hand, but squeeze back. A man who would respect her, love her. A man who would accept her and everything she would give in return.

It was almost painfully obvious she would end up with Mori. So she didn't think anyone should have been surprised, or blindsided by it when he walked up and asked her out softly, in the middle of a Host Meeting. No one had been at first because no one had really noticed actually. For all the invitation was public, no one had really paid attention because none of her admirers had seen him as a threat and no one had really ever considered it.

She'd said yes and it had taken everyone else almost three weeks longer to realize they were, as the other girls called it, an item. That had been a large drama that had given her a headache for many days. But Mori had been there. He'd smiled and taken her hand. He'd defended her, let her defend him, and that was all she ever wanted or needed from a man. But he offered her everything and so she did the same, and somewhere along the line it had turned from interest to love.

And Haruhi wasn't complaining, for all she'd never really seen it coming.

.-.

THE END

.-.


End file.
